A Powerful Mind
by CyborgAngel22
Summary: FINISHED! I have finally gotten around to getting it done! Read it! It's really good!
1. Project Noir

A Powerful Mind  
  
By: CyborgAngel22  
  
Author's Note: This is my first Static Shock fic. This will have some Justice League in it, but that's to be expected since Static and Gear have met the Justice League. This takes place after the episode when Static met his mother for the second time.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Static Shock. It belongs to KidsWB and DC Comics so don't sue me! I also modified a poem from the anime Noir, so don't sue me for that either because I don't own it! I only own my OOC!  
  
Chapter 1: Project Noir  
  
Noir...  
  
Name of the fate that follows death.  
  
The woman who is the harbinger of death,  
  
The black hand of darkness in the green field,  
  
Please protect our peace.   
  
Lex Luthor walked through the doors of his lab. Dr. Koji was walking with him. "Any prgeressed with Noir?" asked Lex  
  
"Her mind is progressing, but she's getting hard to control  
  
"Hard to control?! I've paid you to keep her in control!"  
  
"IT's the gas we've exposed her to. He brain has progressed so much that she's developed telekenesis."  
  
"Telekenesis?"  
  
"The ability to move objects with the mind. Unfortunately, her power is so strong that she can cuase destruction."  
  
"Good, now all I need to do is control her. Show her that we're the good guys."  
  
"With all due respect Mr. Luthor, she will only listen to my wife."  
  
"Your wife has visited her."  
  
"Ever since she was created. It seems Mai's presence is very calming to her."  
  
"I see....send her over."  
  
Later that night, Static and Gear were on duty when they noticed an explosion in the electronics warehouse. "What do you think?" asked asked Gear  
  
"My guess Hotstreak." answered Static  
  
They crashed through the warehouse roof and and found everything in a dissaray. Unfortunately, nobody was there. They heard a ground and found Hotstreak in a wall. "Looks like somebody did our jobs." said Static "I wonder who."  
  
"Me." said a viced  
  
They turned to see an african-american girl dressed in a black witch's dress with a black witch hat and black knee-hi boots. "Who are you supposed to be? The wicked witch of the west?" asked Static  
  
"The name's Enchanted." she said "You must be Static and Gear....or shoud I say Virgil Hawkins and Richie Foaley."  
  
"How did she-?"  
  
"She's psychic." said Gear  
  
Her black hair became wild and her eyes turned a gold color. She raised her hands and the both of them went flying. Static attacked and shocked her. Both of them fell and that's when she really got pissed. Electronics were exploding and glasses were breaking. She walked to both of them and slammed them hard into the wall. Gear spat up some blood and Enchanted's eyes widened. She dropped them both and walked to the door. Static ran after her and the door slammed shut behind him. Static looked out the window. "That was perfect." said a familiar voice  
  
"I didn't think I could make him bleed like that." said Enchanted "This isn't right, Mr. Luthor."  
  
"Nonsense, now, you're ready for something bigger."  
  
The limo drove away and Gear walked up to him. "Damn..." he muttered "I broke a rib or two."  
  
"Lex Luthor.....what would a bang baby want with somebody like him?"  
  
"Maybe she works for him."  
  
"He said something bigger.....what's his biggest enemy?"  
  
"The Justice League.....well, that's everybody's primary enemy."  
  
"Luthor's going after Superman."  
  
"Why Superman?"  
  
"Long story....we have to tell Batman."  
  
"But shouldn't we go to Meteropolis?"  
  
"It'd be easier to contact Batman first. He knows how to contact Superman."  
  
Gear heaved over a bit and Static caught him. "You ok?" he asked   
  
"I'll be fine." said Gear  
  
The next day, Lex was in his office when he got an immediate phone call from his cell phone. "Luthor." he said  
  
"Mr. Luthor," said Dr. Koji "Project Noir has taken over the lab!"  
  
"What?! Dammit, who let her out?!"  
  
"We don't know, she's broken into security and is causing an uproar!"  
  
"Stay there! I'll be there in a minute!"  
  
No sooner had Luthor gotten there when the lab exploded. All that could be seen was a flash of light across the sky. He grinned a bit and sighed. "The little brat went through security....this'll be a fun game." he said  
  
He heard police sirens and leaned against his car. Across town, Clark Kent was having a meeting with the other reporters at the Daily Planet. They all heard an explosion and looked over. "What in the-?" asked Lois  
  
Clark dissapeared from the scene quickly and Lois looked around. "Where's smallville?" she asked  
  
To Be Continued..... 


	2. Along Came Kandice

Chapter 2: Along Came Kandice  
  
Richie and Virigl were walking to 'FYE' (it's the name a record store for all of you who don't get cd's from the mall) to get Kanye West's new CD (it's called 'College Dropout'). They looked around for a while and they finally found it. Richie wanted the CD, Virgil wanted J-Kwon's CD (called Hood Hop). When Virgil picked up the CD, Richie gave him a goofy look. "Are you buying this to annoy your sister or do you really like J-Kwon?" he asked  
  
"Both." answered Virigil  
  
"I never knew that your sister hated J-Kwon."  
  
"Well, she hates that, and 50 Cent."  
  
"Didn't you buy that CD?"  
  
"Nah, I'm gettin' it burned from Daisy."  
  
"Speakin' of Daisy, did you ask her yet?"  
  
"I haven't seen her since yesterday."  
  
"That's odd, I saw at lunch with Frieda yesterday."  
  
"I wonder why she didn't see me?"  
  
"It must be something you said to her the other day."  
  
"She's working so I'll talk to her then."  
  
"I still think it's something you said."  
  
Virgil mumbled something under his breath and walked to the cash register. Richie gave him an awkward look and walked after him. When they were walking, they saw someone that they haven't seen in a whole year. She had short black hair with blonde highlights and light brown eyes. "I don't believe it." said Richie   
  
"I know, she was missing ever since the big bang." said Virigil  
  
She wore a pair of jean capris, orange/yellow striped tube top, and a white scarf that matched her white sneakers. "Wow, she got even hotter." said Richie  
  
"And you said that you didn't like her." said Virigil  
  
"I don't....well not like that."  
  
Virgil rolled his eyes and walked up to the girl. He tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped. "Sorry if I scared you." he said  
  
The girl just blinked him. "Virgil?" she asked "Vigril Hawkins?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me."  
  
"Cool, do you remember who I am?" asked Richie  
  
"Yeah, you're Richie Foaley."  
  
"Where have you been all this time, Kandice?"  
  
"It's hard to say....I can't remember anything after being on the docks."  
  
"What do you mean by you can't remember?"  
  
"I just dont. I remember walking, but that's just it."  
  
Kandice's watch started beeping and her eyes widened. "Look, I'll see you in school."   
  
She ran off to the cash register. Virigil and Richie looked at her awkwardly. "What was that about?" asked Richie  
  
"She probably had something important to do."  
  
Later that night, Gear was patrolling Dakota. He wasn't pretty happy doing it, but Virgil was on a date with Daisy. He was hoping that he didn't run into any of the meta-breed. Backpack started going off and he looked around. Inside a jewerly store was a whole lot of sirens. "Talon..." he muttered  
  
He flew down and walked in. He hand in his hand on one of his restaints. "Hey Talon, got a present for ya!" he yelled  
  
She grinned and turned around. She let one of her high-pitched blasts off and he hit the wall. He groaned and sat up. She gripped her hand around his neck. "See your not much without Static." she said   
  
"Hey bird brain!" yelled a voice "Let him go!"  
  
She turned around and saw a girl in black pants, black spagetti-strapped top with a black see-through blouse with black timberland boots. "Who are you supposed to be?"   
  
"The name's Midnight and you'd better put Gear down if you know what's good for you!"  
  
Talon threw Richie to the side and stared at her. "I guess you don't know who I am, either."  
  
She screamed and Midnight jumped out of the way. Midnight's hair grew wild and a few earings flew at Talon. One hit her in the side and she crouched over. "You want some more?" asked Midnight  
  
Talon growled and stood up. "This ain't over, bitch!" she said  
  
She flew off and Midnight brushed a strand out of her hair. She searched around and found her hairtie. She tied her hair back into a ponytail. She then walked over to Gear. She placed her hand on his cheek. "Hey, wake up." she said   
  
He groaned and woke up. He thought it was Talon, but it was another person. She had short black hair and blonde highlights. Over her face was a mask that made her look like a porclain doll. "You'll be just fine." she said  
  
She left abruptly after that.  
  
The next day, Richie was having back pains from his fight with Talon. He was walking with Virgil to school. He rubbed his left shoulder blade. "Long night?" asked Virgil  
  
"You could say that." he answered   
  
"So tell me about this Midnight girl."  
  
"She came down out of nowhere and beat up Talon. I didn't see the fight because I was unconcious. She woke up and then just left."  
  
"I hope she's not another Shebang. Last thing I need is another government experiment gone wild."  
  
"I hope Shenice doesn't hear you talking like that. She'd kill you with her power grip."  
  
"Don't remind me."  
  
The school bell rang and the boys ran to the school building. It was only the first bell, but they've been late for school too many times on numerous occasions....most of them being bang baby related. When they got inside, Kandice was talking to Daisy. "And the gossip chain begins." said Richie  
  
"At leat its something good about me." said Virgil  
  
Kandice smiled brightly at the boys. She had her hair tied back in a ponytail today. It was a small ponytail, but enough to gather hair for a ponytail style. She wore a t-shirt and cargo pants, on the t-shirt, it said 'The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth'. "So you've finally gotten around to being a Romeo." she said  
  
Virgil blushed. Obviously, Daisy told her the details of their date. Richie eyed Kandice's shirt. "Cute shirt." he said  
  
"Thanks, it's a true statement." she said  
  
"Yes, geeks shall inherit the earth."  
  
"We shall."  
  
Both Daisy and Virgil rolled their eyes.   
  
"Virgil, I need to talk to about something." said Daisy, eyeing Richie and Kandice  
  
Kandice got he message and grabbed Richie's arm. Virgil looked at Kandice awkwardly as she led Richie away. She didn't stop until she reached the cafeteria. Daisy wrapped her arms around Virgil's neck and kissed him. "Thank you for last night." she said  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"Are we still on for Friday."  
  
"Yeah, I have nothing to do."  
  
Kandice handed Richie a can of soda. "Thanks..." he muttered  
  
"Don't take it personally." said Kandice, opening her can of soda "I'd hate to see you staring at the newlyweds when they start kissing."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
Kandice was drinking her when she got a throbbing headace. She dropped her can and started gripping her head in pain. "What's wrong?!" asked Richie  
  
"My head....it hurts...." she yelled  
  
Richie was about to see what was wrong, when everything in the cafeteria started floating, including himself. Kandice's eyes widened as she saw Gear about to get killed by Hotstreak. She snapped out of her prediction when she saw everything floating around her. She usesd her hands to make everything lay down softly. Richie stared at her. She gave him a pleading look. The school bell rang and she ran from the cafeteria. Richie just looked on, stunned.  
  
Static was on patrol with Gear. It was a quiet night and it didn't seem like anything was going to happen. Static looked at his partner. "What's up with you?" asked Static  
  
"Kandice." Gear answered  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"Today, in the cafeteria...."  
  
He trailed off as he remembered Kandice's pleading look. He couldn't bring himself to telling on her. "What about it?" asked Static  
  
"Nothing....nothing....she just asked me the carnaval on Friday." lied Gear  
  
"I'm taking Daisy."  
  
"That means I'll be on patrol alone that night..."  
  
"Why don't you take Kandice?"  
  
"I don't think she would want to go with me."  
  
"Oh come on, she looks at you like your the only thing that matters to her. I saw her eyeing you all day."  
  
Backpack started going off and Gear looked at it. It was pointing to the nearest electronic store. "Showtime." said Static  
  
They flew down and saw Hotstreak on his hands on a couple of CDs. "Couldn't wait for the new stock?" asked Static  
  
Hotstreak smirked and threw a fireball at them. They both jumped out of the way and the wall melted in back of them. "Since when could he do that?" asked Static  
  
"I got stronger, chump." answered Hotstreak  
  
Gear jumped out of the way of Hotstreak's attack. It hit the ground so intensely that he was blown into another room, hitting his head on a pipe. He didn't even notice that he hit his head and dented the pipe. The attack was so intense that the doors of the room fell off. Static took the rug under Hotstreak's feet and the pryokinetic bang baby sat up. Gear sniffed and looked behind him. He saw gas coming out of the gas line. "Um...Static?" he asked nervously  
  
"What?" he exclaimed  
  
Hotstreak made another fireball and out the corner of his eye, he could see Gear trying to get away. "You're not going anywhere!" he said  
  
He threw the fireball and the gass made it look like it imploded. "Gear!" yelled Static  
  
"You're next, chump." said Hotstreak  
  
He made another fireball and it seemed like a vein popped in Static's forhead. It seemed like his powers intensed by ten and he slammed Hotsreak against a wall. "You killed him!" yelled Static  
  
He huffed out a deep breath of air and looked at the fire. His heart was breaking because he lost his best friend. The fire started separating and Gear was carried out by a woman with a porclain doll face mask on. He ran up to her and he noticed he couldn't quite see her eyes. "Who are you?" he asked  
  
"Doesn't matter." she said  
  
She laid Gear down on the floor. "He inhaled some smoke but he should be fine."   
  
She left abrubtly before Static could catch her.   
  
Kandice was sitting outside in the outside courtyard area for lunch. She was out there all by herself. She was wearing a long white blouse and a pair of jean capris. She rolled up her sleeve and looked at her bandages. The blood that had seeped through had dried. She sighed and looked up at the sky. She could remember what happened that very morning....  
  
Kandice woke up and sat up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and slowly placed her feet on the hard, wood floor. She opened the door to her room slowly and poked her head out. She put it back in and started putting her clothes on. She held her sneakers as she walked down he hallway. The air was musty and cobwebs covered the house. Her footsteps were small thumps on the stairs. Then, she hit a creak. She stopped and held her breath. There was no sound and she exhaled softly. She continued down the stairs and she walked into the kitchen. She sighed and began to look in the refridgerator. Her foot hit a beer bottle and it rolled across the floor. The kitchen door swung open, and there stood a large, overbearing man. He squinted his eyes at the teen and he had a beer bottle in his right hand. "Where da hell have ya been?!" he asked in a slurred voice  
  
"I was here." she said  
  
"Don't lie!"  
  
He raised his hand and hit her cheek. She fell over and then stood up, holding the kitchen table. He grabbed her wrist and kept it on the kitchen table. He was trying to get some beer out of the botte, but it was empty. He grabbed his daughter by her wrist and threw her to the floor. "Bitch, I thought I told ya tah buy meh beer!" he yelled  
  
"I'm too young!" she said  
  
He laid his boot on top of her chest and pressed down, hard. "Yah useless....just like ya mah!"  
  
He took his boot off and kicked her in the side. She curled up into a ball and he slammed his beer bottle against her arm, the shards breaking into her skin. Blood dribbled off and he grabbed her by her blood arm. She cried in pain and he threw her against the wall. "Shaddap!" he yelle  
  
She held back her tears as she looked at her father. He pointed a finger at her. "Da next time ya come home, buy meh beer!"  
  
She nodded as he walked away......  
  
The young teen sighed again and she heard footsteps. She rolled her sleeve down again. Richie sat next to her and poked her in the shoulder. "Room for two?" he asked  
  
He had his usual cheerful look and Kandice looked at him and gave him a weak smile. She curled her knees into her chest. "What's wrong?" he asked  
  
"Nothing." she answered "Listen....about the other day-"  
  
"Forget it."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, you didn't hurt anybody."  
  
She stood up and looked at him with a bit of an angered look. "How can you say that?!" she exclaimed "I'm a freakin' bang baby and you don't even care?! What if I were to hurt you?!"  
  
Richie stood up and looked at her in the eyes. "I know you couldn've hurt me." he said, calmly  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"You're a bit angry right now. If you really wanted to hurt somebody, you would've done it already."  
  
Kandice rubbed her shoulders and inched away from him. "I don't think I have the capability to control it all the time."  
  
Richie grabbed her arm and she screamed out in pain. She yanked her arm away. "That hurt!" she said  
  
"What happened?" he asked  
  
She sighed and flopped back down on the bench she was sitting in. She rubbed her arm again and Richie could see the blood seeping through her blouse. It wasn't bleeding a lot, but enough to go dizzy. He sat down next to her. "Kandice....are you-"  
  
"It's Kandi...I hate it when people say my whole name."  
  
"Kandi....are you alright?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"But your arm, its-"  
  
"Bleeding, I know that."  
  
"But how did you-"  
  
"Fighting."  
  
"You fought a gang and didn't tell the cops?!"  
  
"Richie! Did you come here to interogate me or is there something you wanna ask me?!"  
  
"Kandi....*sigh* I was wondering if you wanted to come to the carnaval on Friday."  
  
"Friday?"  
  
"If you can't go I can understand..."  
  
"No, its ok. I was just thinking if my dad....it's not your problem."  
  
She stood up and grabbed her bookbag. Richie stood up and looked her in the eyes. He could see the fear and pain in them. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked  
  
She smiled weakly at him again and placed her fingers on his face. She pulled him into a small, soft kiss. "I'll be fine." she said   
  
Her hands dropped and fell on his hands. He lowered them from her shoulders. She let go of them when the bell rang and walked off. Richie just sood there, fingertips up to his lips. "Great job." said a voice  
  
He immediately blushed and turned around to see Virgil snickering. He gave him a dirty look. "How long were you stand there?" he asked  
  
"Long enough to see that little make out session."  
  
"Make out session?! It was a kiss!"  
  
"You frenched her already?!"  
  
"No you pervert! It was a soft kiss...."  
  
"Hello! Earth to Richie!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Oh man! She's got you whipped already!"  
  
"She does not!"  
  
The bell rang and the two looked at each other. "Great, now we've got detention!" said Richie  
  
"Your falut for making out!" said Virgil  
  
"It was a kiss, not a make out!"  
  
Kandi was walking home when she stopped in front of the liquor store. She winced as she looked at her arm. She reached down into her pocket and pulled out her ID. "Better get this over with." she muttered  
  
She had her hand on the door when she heard a car honk. She turned to see Mr. Hawkins and Virgil pull up in a car. "Kandice, you want a ride?" asked Virigil  
  
"You drive now?" she asked, sarcastically  
  
She walked up to the car. Virigil smiled. "Yeah, ain't it great?" he asked  
  
"No." said Kandice "I guess it's ok since I'm getting a ride."  
  
She walked over and got in the back. Mr. Hawkins laughed a bit when Virgil took off. "I see I'm not the only one with that view on you driving." he said  
  
"I love the moral support I'm getting." said Virgil, in a flat tone  
  
"It's obvious since you're a teenager that most people don't like you driving." said Kandice  
  
"I'm sure you'll be any better when you drive."  
  
"Hey, I'm the responsible one."  
  
"So why were you going into the liqour store?"  
  
"I needed to make a phone call."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"I thought I was going to be late for dinner. Dad get's really worried when I don't come home on time."  
  
"I guess I'm not the only one on lockdown."  
  
"No kidding..."  
  
"Parents just care." said Robert "Some more than others."  
  
"That wouldn't be it..." muttered Kandice  
  
"Huh?" asked Virgil  
  
"Oh, nothing, my house is right here."  
  
Virgil stopped the car and Kandice got out. She waved them bye and went inside. She took a deep breath and crept slowly down the hallway.  
  
CyborgAngel22: Thanks for everybody who read my ficcie! I'm finally back up after months and months without internet! Anyway, now to thank the reviewers:  
  
Ivy Adreana: I am considering having a beta reader and I'm glad you're intrested in my plot.  
  
Feline-Feral: I'm glad you like it and Chapter 3 will be up soon!  
  
Xenomorph666: Green Lantern is not in this and the Justice League won't be in it for a while, at least not until I decide to put them back in.  
  
Qeen-of-Demon-Dragons: Glad you like it! I'm in the process of writing more.  
  
Big0-2005: I know who you are and don't bother reviewing anymore b/c I'm mad at you!  
  
Keemew2: I'll consider making you my beta reader. 


	3. Promise

Chapter 3: Promise

Kandice walked into Dakota Union High with a stomach ace. Her stomach had been cramping up since this morning. She ate something on the way over, but that just made it worse. As she passed down the hallways to homeroom, her cramps were getting worse. Her back was also hurting pretty badly. When she twisted to one side, it became a very unbearable pain. She went over to her locker and began exchanging books when she started hearing what people were thinking. _'I hope she's not high or anything....'_ said one person

She snapped her head to one side to see Frieda look at her suprised. "Uh...hey Kandice." she said

Kandice sighed and leaned her head against her locker. "sigh Hey Frieda." she said

"You ok?"

"Yeah, just a cramp in my stomach."

Her pains got worse and she groaned as she grabbed her stomach. "Kandice?" asked Frieda

All the lockers began opening by themselves. At this particular moment, Virgil and Richie were walking up they hall when the noticed all the lockers opening. Books flew out of one student's hands and a bookbag flew across the room. "Kandi..." muttered Richie

Kandice felt like she was going to vomit so she ran into the girl's room. Freida ran after her. When she ran inside, the mirror above the row of sinks cracked. She found Kandice heavily vomiting over a toilet. "I'm gonna get the nurse." she said

"Don't...." said Kandice, softly "It's something I ate."

She could hear other voices. They were all freaking out about what happened in the hallways. "Kandice-" started Frieda

"I said don't freakin' worry about it!" said Kandice, loudly "It's just something I ate."

Frieda slowly walked out of the bathroom. She was worried about Kandice. What she saw wasn't a pretty sight and it looked a little like blood to her. "Frieda?" asked a voice

She turned to see Virgil and Richie looking at her with concerned faces. "Is everything ok?" asked Richie

"Sure." she answered

"You seen Kandi anywhere?"

"Kandi? Oh you mean Kandice. She's in the bathroom."

"This time of the morning?" asked Virgil "Doing what?"

"Girl stuff...fixing her makeup...."

The school bell rang and Frieda walked quickly to class. The bathroom door swung wide open and hit Virgil in the face. She didn't seem to notice much, because she groggily walked off as if nothing happened.

Later that day, Virgil and Richie were playing basketball at the Freeman Community Center. Kandice came in and sat on the bleachers. Virgil took quick notice of her. He still was a bit pissed at her for swinging the door in his face. "Kandi?" asked Richie

She looked up and gave the both of them a weak smile. "Hey guys." she said "Sorry about the door Virgil."

"What's up with you?" asked Virgil "You've been acting like you're sick or something."

Kandice clutched her stomach and heaved over a bit. "Kandice?" he asked

"I'm fine." she said "Just another stomach cramp."

"You should see a doctor for that." said Richie

Kandice got up and looked at them. "I'm fine now." she said "Don't worry about it."

She straggled to the bathroom, until her body felt light. She fell on her knees and began vomiting. Both Virgil and Richie came to help her. They were shocked to find that she wasn't vomiting food, but blood. An ambulance was quickly called and Kandice was sent to the hospital with Sharon, since she was the only one there. Richie sat on the bleachers, stunned. He knew that Kandice was getting abused, but he didn't think this much. "You ok man?" asked Virgil

"I knew." he answered

"Knew what?"

"Kandi was getting abused and she made me promise not to tell anybody."

"You should've said something."

"I promise her that I wouldn't."

"Sometimes you have to break a promise to save someone's life."

Richie came home that evening. He wasn't his usual happy-go-lucky self. Mrs. Foaley walked into the living room, drying her hands. She looked at him awkwardly. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Richie?" she asked

"Hey mom." he said

"Something wrong? You look sick."

"No."

"Dinner's ready if you want something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure you're not sick? You're always hungry."

Richie ran up the stairs and his mother called after him, but he just slammed his room door. Mrs. Foaley sighed as she looked up at the top of the stairs. The phone rang and she ran quickly to answer it. "Hello?" she asked

"Hello, Mrs. Foaley." said Virgil on the other end "Is Richie there?"

"Yes, he's here, but he's a bit upset right now. Did something happen at school?"

"Um...there's this girl that was abused a lot and she's in the hospital. Richie really likes her."

"Oh...poor girl...are you calling with news?"

"Well, it's bad news. She's going to be in the hospital for a bit longer. Her back's a bit weak."

"I'll be sure to tell Richie that, when he's feeling a bit better."

Kandi was playing gameboy. She was just finished her daily checkup and was bored. A representative of Dakota's Social Services Agency was here not too long ago. He asked her questions about her father and she answered them all truthfully. She was a bit worried, though. She was worried that her father might come after her for that. She usually would run away, but he had stomped into her back so hard that she was paralyzed for the time being. The door opened and she quickly hid her gameboy under the blanket. She saw that it was Richie and she sighed. "Thank god." she said "I thought you were Rachel."

"Hey." he said

"So, how's life on the outside?"

"It's been ok. Frieda, Daisy, and Shenice asked for you."

"Wow, I have a fan club."

The two of them made a small laugh. He pulled out a candy bar from his hoodie. "Brought you something to make you feel better." he said

"Thanks." she said "I love Milky Way."

The door opened and in came a woman in her early twenties came in. She had on large hoop earrings and lots of makeup. She was also chewing on gum. She was holdling a clipboard. When she saw the candy bar in Kandi's hands, she sighed. "Give me the bar." she said

"Richie gave it to me." said Kandi, whining

"You can have it back when you're fully recovered."

"I wanna keep it."

The nurse grabbed the candy bar and walked out the door. "That's Rachel." said Kandi "She's a real barrel of laughs."

Static was flying around when he noticed a bright green light coming from an apartment. He went in for a closer look when he noticed that someone was lying on the floor. There was a shadowy figure lying over a girl. The shadow then looked up and looked straight into Static's eyes. He had a skull white face and red eyes. He came straight for Static, but he missed, barely. Police cars rolled up and then the man jumped back into the apartment, disappearing in the darkness. Static followed after him and found nothing. He then examined the girl. She was a young Hispanic girl and she seemed to be alive. Her eyes were open, but it was like there was nothing in her brain, like she was unconscious. Paramedics came in to examine the girl. "What happened to her?" asked one

"I don't know." answered Static "I found her like that."

"We'll take her to emergency and find out what's wrong."

He nodded and left. As he left the building, the man with the skull white face stared out and smirked.

Kandi and Richie were talking seriously about what had happened to her. Richie felt bad about not telling anybody about Kandi's condition with her father. She listened and sighed. She hated when people would worry about her. Kandi's problem was that she had very low self-asteem. She growled and turned away. "Kandi?" he asked

"What have I told you about worrying?" she asked, sternly

"I can't help it when one of my friends is getting hurt."

"Why is it every time we meet, you have to lecture me?!"

"I'm sorry if I worry!"

"Richie....sighplease don't pity me."

"I don't pity you...I...uh..."

As Kandi was about to say something nasty, she got a horrible headace. She groaned and Richie looked at her in shock. "Kandice?!" he said

He almost grabbed the button for the nurse, but she grabbed his arm. "Don't." she said "It's just....ugh...a vision...."

"Of what?" he asked

"Stuff....a man....I can't see his face...he's....he's....draining someone...."

She sat up and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "These visons are getting harder on me." she said

"Is it deadly?" asked Richie

"Try painful."

"Oh...can you promise me something?"

"Richie..."

"Promise me that the next time your life's in danger, you'll tell me."

"I promise..."

"I really do worry, you know."

"sigh You're a pain, you know that?"

Richie stared at her with sad eyes and she smiled at him. She rolled her eyes at his obvious look. "I was only joking." she said

"You have a weird sense of humor." he said


	4. Lying from you

Chapter 4: Lying From You

AN: Yes, this is a song fic. Don't ask me how I got the idea, I just did.

_When I pretend_

_Everything is what I want it to be_

_I look exactly like what you had always_

_Wanted to see_

Richie woke up and found himself looking at the cracks in his ceiling. It was a blurry sight, but it was still depressing. It's been 3 months and Kandi was still in the hospital. She was close to a full recovery. He had sent her schoolwork and visiting her anytime he could, when he wasn't being Gear and when he wasn't with his parents. He was happy for her almost-full recovery, but then there was the fact that it was hard to find a foster parent to take care of her. "It's unfair..." he muttered

There was a light knock at the door. He put on his glasses and lifted his leg to hit the floor. "Richie?" asked Mrs. Foley

"I'm up." He said

She opened the door and smiled. "I thought you would sleep in, since it's Saturday." She said

"No." he answered "I wanted to go and get the homework from Kandice before she started her exercises."

"She sounds like a very special girl."

"Wha?"

"You spend a lot of your time with this girl. Maybe when she gets out of the hospital, we can meet her."  
Riche flopped backwards and looked up at the ceiling. "Sure." He said

Mrs. Foley gave her son a weak smile and walked out the room, closing the door.

_When I pretend_

_I can forget about the criminal I am_

Stealing second after second just 'cause I know I can 

Kandi flicked through the channels. The schoolbooks laid to the left of her, and her get-well soon cards on the right. She wasn't really for watching TV; she just was a bit annoyed. She didn't like people worrying about her, and she particularly cared for their concern. Deep down inside, she appreciated the care that people gave for her; she just didn't know how to handle it. A very abusive father, who didn't care, not even after her mother died, raised her. "I'm just selfish..." she muttered "Richie should be enjoying life, not spending his life me in a cold, sterile room where life becomes a repeat."  
She smirked and laughed inwardly. "Oh God," she laughed "I'm going crazy."

She looked over when the door opened and in came Sharon. "Great timing." She said "I'm going crazy."  
Sharon looked at her awkwardly and shook her head. "I came to see how you were doing." She said

"Oh yea, you're my psychologist." Said Kandice, sarcastically

"Believe me, I don't think you're going crazy."

"I'm hearing another voice in my head, tell me that's not crazy."

"What do you mean by hearing voices?"

"Another voice is telling me that I should be hurting my father for what he did to me...all the years of hell he put me through..."

"That's just the way you feel. It's sort-of like your sub-consciousness."

"Sub-consciousness?"

"It's that part of yourself you refuse to let out. I've seen you around the center a lot, you don't seem to be angry a lot. Maybe sometimes it's good to just let it out."

_But I can't pretend this is the way_

_It will stay_

_I'm just trying to bend the truth_

I can't pretend I'm who you want me to be 

A man with a skull white face grinned as he looked down at his victim, Brickhouse. Her skin had lost all color and her lifeless eyes stared up at the roof of the abandoned subway station. He looked down at the girl, his eyes glowing a menacing red. "Arise." He said

Brickhouse's skin turned back to the way it was, but her eyes were still lifeless. She immediately stood up, grinning evilly. "Let's return to our lair, my dear." He said

A grenade wrapped around Brickhouse's body. The man turned around and found himself looking at Static and Gear. Static blinked and his eyes widened. "You!" he exclaimed "You're the one that murdered that innocent woman!"

"Are you sure it was me? It could've been someone else."

"You also murdered the professors at the Dakota Museum!"

"So what if it was me? There's nothing you can do. Brickhouse over here is my servant. She does as I say, and so will every other human or bang baby I suck the soul out of."

"Did he just say suck souls?" asked Gear

The man smirked and chanted something under his breath. Before Static and Gear could know what was going on, their breath's became labored and they felt lightheaded. "I am Aragog." He said, walking over to them "I'm the master of sorcery."  
He glanced over at Gear, whose breathing was more heavily labored that Static's was. "I can see into your soul." He said, crouching down "Your heart is hurting because she won't love you back."

"Shut up..." growled Gear, gritting his teeth

"She's sick and there's nothing you can do to help her."

"I said shut up."

"Her soul would be great to add to my collection."  
With those words, he and Brickhouse disappeared into a portal. The spell was lifted and the two began breathing, heavily.

_So I'm lying my way from you_

_I wanna be pushed aside_

_So let me go_

Let me take back my life 

Kandice ran her fingers down the mirror. A small shard that stuck out of the mirror pricked her finger. She retched back in sight pain and took out the shard. "Ow..." she moaned

She placed her finger in her mouth and began sucking up the blood. "You shouldn't do that." Said a voice "You'd get infection."

"Shut up." Said Kandice

A girl that looked exactly like her stood next to her. She was a transparent and she was leaning against a wall, crossing her arms. "Sorry if I care." She said

"It's your fault, you know."

"What did I do?"

"Everybody's gonna think I'm crazy."

"Technically, you are."

"Only because I'm talking to transparent soul who happens to be sharing my body."

"You wanna know why you're crazy?"

"Not really, but you can explain."

"You can't remember anything that happened to you in Metropolis. I can remember everthing. Your father beating you, your mother dying, the love you had for Richie, even when you didn't get noticed."

"Shut up."

"Hey, don't get all defensive, I'm only telling the truth."

"Don't you think I know that?! I wish that I'd never become a bang baby in the first damn place!"

"It can't be helped. If you'd taken care of your father, you wouldn't be here."  
She slowly walked out the bathroom, gripping to anything she can. "You're not much help, you know." She said

"I am a spirit, you know." Said the other

There was a loud scream in the hallway, almost a shriek. The two of them blinked and looked at each other. "I didn't like the sound of that." Said the spirit

_I'd rather be all alone_

_Anywhere on my own_

_'Cause I can see_

_The very worst part of you_

Is me 

Virgil watched as Richie ate his burger in silence. By now, he would be cracking some kind of joke. He couldn't take much more of Richie being quiet. He knew why, too. Kandice was coming out the hospital soon, but there weren't many foster parents willing to take on troubled teens. He knew the deal from being at the community center so much. Homeless or abused people would live at the center until suitable parents would come and get them. Some times it would take days, weeks, months, or years before anything would happen. Putting her in a group home would make things worse. Some of the other teens might hurt her, or even murder her. "She'll be fine." He said

"Huh?" asked Richie

"Kandice. You've been over there almost every day to see her."

"Wow, I've been gone that much?"

"Yeah, everybody's been noticing, even your parents."

"Maybe I should get out more."

"It's ok, though. When you really care about somebody, you're willing to give up all the time in the world."

Richie's cell phone went off and Virgil looked at him awkwardly. "Since when do you have a cell phone?" he asked

"Since I've been spending time at the hospital. Mom wants to make sure I'm ok."

He opened his phone. "Hello?" he asked

"Hello son." Said a feminine voice

"Mom?" he asked

"You need to come home."

"What for?"

"Your father and I want to talk to you about something."

_I remember what they taugt to me_

_Remember condescending talk_

_Of who I ought to be_

Remember listening to all of that 

It only took a week for Kandice to get out of the hospital...and back into the world that she called 'hell'. She had been sent to a foster home in the Hispanic part of Dakota. She still went to Dakota Union High, but there were certain restrictions to living in the foster home. Fall was almost over and winter was setting in. Despite the 3 months in the hospital, Kandice miraculously could keep up with her schoolwork. Richie had offered to walk Kandice home, and she accepted. The air was colder and this meant heavy coats and gloves. Kandice zipped up her coat and put her hands into her coat. "Cold?" asked Richie

"What do you think?" asked Kandice, out of sarcasm

He sighed and kept on walking. Kandice poked him in the cheek gently with her cold finger. "Hey!" he protested

"Ok, fess up." She said

"What?"

"Come on, I know you have something on your mind. I'm trying to read and you're blocking me out."

"Kandi!"

"What? I can't help screwing with people's minds sometime."

"I wonder how many innocent people got sent to the mental hospital because of you."  
Kandice turned to look at him and she gave him a sly smile. She pressed a finger into his chest and leaned closer to him. "You really wanna know?" she asked

Richie's face flush slightly red and she laughed, walking off in the process. He blinked and shook the blush off. "You're insane!" he called, running after her

She stopped to let him catch up. The cold air was bad for their asthma and Richie running without his inhaler wasn't a pretty sight. When he finally caught up, she slipped her arms around his neck and he slipped his arms around her waist. "Ok, what's on your mind?' she asked

"Um...my parents what to meet you." He answered

Kandice's smile immediately dropped from her face. "You've got to be kidding me." She said

Both of them dropped their hands. "Kandi, come on." He said

"I can barely go through a whole day of school without my powers acting up. Besides, if I have to talk one on one with your mom, a plate could go flying somewhere."

"Please Kandi?"

"Fine, but you'd better hope I don't kill you in the whole 'interrigation'."

_And this again_

_So I pretended up a person who was fitting in_

_And now you think this person_

"She'll be fine." He said

"Huh?" asked Richie

"Kandice. You've been over there almost every day to see her."

"Wow, I've been gone that much?"

"Yeah, everybody's been noticing, even your parents."

"Maybe I should get out more."

"It's ok, though. When you really care about somebody, you're willing to give up all the time in the world."

Richie's cell phone went off and Virgil looked at him awkwardly. "Since when do you have a cell phone?" he asked

"Since I've been spending time at the hospital. Mom wants to make sure I'm ok."

He opened his phone. "Hello?" he asked

"Hello son." Said a feminine voice

"Mom?" he asked

"You need to come home."

"What for?"

"Your father and I want to talk to you about something."

_I remember what they taugt to me_

_Remember condescending talk_

_Of who I ought to be_

Remember listening to all of that 

It only took a week for Kandice to get out of the hospital...and back into the world that she called 'hell'. She had been sent to a foster home in the Hispanic part of Dakota. She still went to Dakota Union High, but there were certain restrictions to living in the foster home. Fall was almost over and winter was setting in. Despite the 3 months in the hospital, Kandice miraculously could keep up with her schoolwork. Richie had offered to walk Kandice home, and she accepted. The air was colder and this meant heavy coats and gloves. Kandice zipped up her coat and put her hands into her coat. "Cold?" asked Richie

"What do you think?" asked Kandice, out of sarcasm

He sighed and kept on walking. Kandice poked him in the cheek gently with her cold finger. "Hey!" he protested

"Ok, fess up." She said

"What?"

"Come on, I know you have something on your mind. I'm trying to read and you're blocking me out."

"Kandi!"

"What? I can't help screwing with people's minds sometime."

"I wonder how many innocent people got sent to the mental hospital because of you."  
Kandice turned to look at him and she gave him a sly smile. She pressed a finger into his chest and leaned closer to him. "You really wanna know?" she asked

Richie's face flush slightly red and she laughed, walking off in the process. He blinked and shook the blush off. "You're insane!" he called, running after her

She stopped to let him catch up. The cold air was bad for their asthma and Richie running without his inhaler wasn't a pretty sight. When he finally caught up, she slipped her arms around his neck and he slipped his arms around her waist. "Ok, what's on your mind?' she asked

"Um...my parents what to meet you." He answered

Kandice's smile immediately dropped from her face. "You've got to be kidding me." She said

Both of them dropped their hands. "Kandi, come on." He said

"I can barely go through a whole day of school without my powers acting up. Besides, if I have to talk one on one with your mom, a plate could go flying somewhere."

"Please Kandi?"

"Fine, but you'd better hope I don't kill you in the whole 'interrogation'."

_And this again_

_So I pretended up a person who was fitting in_

_And now you think this person_

_Really is me and I'm_

Trying to bend the truth 

Theresa threw a pillow at Kandice. Ever since she lost her powers, she was placed into foster care. Even though her parents kicked her out and forced her to live in foster care, she would never turn back into a bang baby. Kandice threw the pillow back and continued looking into the closet. "You're not going to go through with it, are you?" asked Theresa

"Like I have much of a choice." Answered Kandice "I can't resist that cute innocent face."

"Wow, crazy in love."

"Quit making fun of my song."

She pulled out a pair of jeans and a white blouse. She held them up for Theresa to see. "Loose the pants." She said

"Aww, come on." Whined Kandice

"When impressing parents, you have to look conservative and cute."  
She sighed and picked out a pair of black pants. "Cute." Said Theresa

"It better be." Said Kandice "Dressing formally is so not me."

"So why do you like Foley so much?"

"I dunno...I guess it's because he's the only person that's cared for me."

"Be careful, guys like him take advantage."

"I'd seriously doubt he'd even know how to do that."

Kandice adverted her eyes away and looked at her reflection. She could see her 'twin' looking back at her. _'If anything, I'm taking advantage of his kindness...'_ she thought_ 'I don't deserve him.'_

_But the more I push_

_The more I'm pulling away_

_'Cause I'm_

Lying my way from you 

Mrs. Foley stirred the soup in the pot and looked over at her son. He dressed as he normally did, but he seemed nervous. She smiled at her son. She could remember when her husband was the same way with her parents. "Things will go fine." She said

"Huh?" asked Richie

"When your friend gets here. Your father was the same way."  
There was a small knock at the door and Richie almost fell off the couch. Mrs. Foley emerged from the kitchen and walked to the door. Richie took a deep breath, not knowing how this was going to turn out. "Hello, Mrs. Foley." Said a happy voice "I'm Kandice Harris, Richie's friend from school."

"So you're the little girl who's got my son wrapped around her finger." She said

Richie felt like he was going to die. He never expected her mother to say something like that. But then, there was the tone of voice she took it as. He didn't know if it was of slight anger or it was happy. Before he knew what was happening, Kandice had plopped herself on the couch and Mrs. Foley went back to cooking. He kissed her on the cheek and she smirked. "We're not even alone and your being affectionate." She said, softly

"I'm just trying to make you feel better." He said

She poked him in the side and stood up. "I'm going to help your mother." She said

"You don't have to do that." Said Mrs. Foley, emerging from the kitchen "Dinner's almost ready."  
The door opened and banged shut. Mrs. Foley went to her husband and Richie stood up, squeezing Kandice's hand. She looked at him awkwardly, but then felt something. It felt like hatred and pain.

_This isn't what I wanted to be_

_I never thought that what I said_

_Would have you running from you_

Like this 

Dinner was very quiet. For some reason, Richie kept brushing his leg up against Kandice's. She thought at first that it was for affection, but then she realized that it was for reassurance. Mr. Foley kept glaring at her, so she kept looking down at the bowl. The four of them said nothing for a whole hour. Throughout Kandice's head, the 'other person' said for her to leave while she could. She knew that the 'other person' was right, but she wouldn't do it, not for Richie's sake. Finally, Mr. Foley put down his glass and glared straight into Kandice's eyes. "So Kandice, your father's name is Johnathan Harris, right?" he asked

The glass that was near Kandice's hand started shaking a bit, but not enough for the parents to notice. "Yes." She said "He is."

"I haven't seen him around for a while. Did he get re-assigned?"  
Now the glass began to start shaking and Richie grabbed it. "You want some more juice?" he asked

Kandice gave a quick nod, knowing what he was doing. "Sit down." Said Mr. Foley, sternly

Kandice began messing with her nails, anything to keep her anger down. She didn't like where this conversation was going. "Can I use your bathroom?" she asked

"Sure." Answered Mrs. Foley "Go up the stairs and it's the first door to your right."  
She immediately got up and walked out the kitchen, muttering a 'thank you'. When she got into the bathroom, she took a deep breath and slid down to the floor, her back to the door. "Told ya to leave." Said a voice

"You're not helping." Said Kandice

"I'm just saying you read his mind and you knew what he thought about you. Why take the abuse when you can leave?"

"Because I-"

"Why would you like a girl like her?!" yelled a voice

"Dad, she'll hear you!" yelled Richie

"I don't care! I don't want you dating a girl like her!"

"Is it because she's African-American?!"

"What the hell do you think?! Why can't you date that journalist girl in your class?!"

"Frieda?!"

"Yeah! Her!"

"She's my friend and she already has a boyfriend!"

"It's bad enough to be friends with them, but now you want to marry them?!"

Kandice stood up and swung open the bathroom door forcefully. Her eyes were stinging because she was holding back the tears that were trying to fall. She grabbed her coat and looked back. She sighed closed the door behind her. _'I'm pathetic...'_ she thought _'I'm too weak to deserve someone like Richie...'_

_The very worst part of you_

_The very worst part of you_

_Is me_


	5. Breaking The Habit

Chapter 5: Breaking The Habit

AN: Yet again, another songfic. Please try to bear with me. I don't own this song; it belongs to Linkin Park. By the way, if you haven't noticed, it's been very angsty lately so just to warn you, there is an attempt at suicide in this chapter. I'm just warning you, if you don't like it, you can just skip the chapter.

_Memories consume_

_Like opening the wound_

_I'm picking me apart again_

Richie watched the ceiling in an attempt to find out what was wrong in his life. He was beaten up by his father and then was grounded from going anywhere. The meeting with Kandice pissed Mr. Foley off and he was taking it out on him and his mom. His arm hurt like hell because his father had thrown him against the wall with it. Then came blow after blow of his father's wrath. He turned over again, wincing at the pain in his side. For once, backpack wasn't on and he wasn't patrolling with Virgil as he usually did. He told Virgil that he was grounded, he didn't say what for. Of course, Virgil took as ok because he didn't want him to get in trouble again. Then, there was Kandice. She apologized for leaving out and he forgave her. He couldn't blame her for being angry with his father. The way he treated her was more than enough to make her leave. He was just relieved that her powers didn't go off and attack anybody. He wanted to see her, badly, but he couldn't even go to the community center. Despite his mother's pleas, he wasn't allowed to leave the house, except for school. All this pressure felt like murder to him. He had to be Richie Foley, normal high school teenager who happens to have a 200+ IQ when it came to science and technology. Then he was also Gear, Static's partner who didn't have physical powers like normal bang babies would. Finally, he was Richie Foley, boyfriend to the very troubled teen Kandice Harris, whom he wanted to share all of secrets with.

_You all assume_

_I'm safe here in my room_

_Unless I try to start again_

The day was yet another regular, boring school day. Richie was exchanging books in his locker. He put on his usual happy face for everybody. _'Virgil and the others wouldn't suspect a thing.'_ He thought _'I really don't want Kandi to worry so much about me. She has enough problems without me adding onto the problem.'_

He laughed to himself, head on the side of his locker. "I should be worrying about her…" he laughed to himself

He closed his locker and walked to the cafeteria. Students were talking as the usually did, and somehow it became noise to him. He looked over for Virgil and he found him sitting at the table with Frieda, Daisy, and Kandice. The girls seemed to be giggling about something, and Virgil had that 'I'm so bored out of my mind', look on his face. Whatever the girls were talking about, he obviously wasn't interested in it. When he sat down, he realized why he was so bored. They were talking about the most annoying thing to the two of them: 'Trading Spaces'. For some reason, they couldn't stand that show and they would be damned if the girls would change their rooms like the show. Virgil groaned and looked over at Richie. "Save me." He said

"What's going on?" he asked

"The girls are thinking about doing Trading Spaces to the community center."

"God save us."  
Kandice kissed Richie on the cheek and he immediately blushed. "That's no way to treat your girlfriend." She said

"Please tell me that the three of you are not considering doing Trading Spaces to the community center." He said

"Only one room." Said Frieda

Both guys groaned. Kandice sat up and whispered into his ear. "Maybe the two us can personally re-arrange your room." She whispered

Richie's face immediately lit up at what she was getting at. She laughed and nudged him in the side. "Just kidding you pervert." She said

When she jabbed him in the side, he felt a searing pain go up his back. He immediately cried out in pain. "Are you ok!" asked Kandice, worriedly

He rubbed his side and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said

"You sure?" asked Virgil

"I'm peachy." He said, sarcastically

He got up from the table and left the four of them looking at him awkwardly.

_I don't want to be the one_

_The battles always choose_

_'Cause inside I realize_

_That I'm the one confused_

Richie continued to stare up at the ceiling. It was late in the afternoon and he had already finished his homework long ago. All he could wait for was his father coming home. Some part of him wanted him to beat and yell him down to the floor. It felt as if it was a sense of release. It wasn't a pleasant kind, but there seemed to be no other way. He wanted to tell Virgil how he felt, but then there was the jokes and immaturity that went with it. Kandice, he just didn't want her to worry. Though, he thought that she was starting to see through him, even though he had his mental blocks up to keep her from reading his mind. He felt bad that he was keeping all of these secrets from her, but he felt as if there was no other way to do things. Then, there was the thought that rapidly went through his mind. There was always suicide, the only way that kids his own age under pressure would do. This wasn't the first time he thought this way; there were the other times, like when he lost his powers, or the last time his father beat on him. No, Kandice wasn't the only reason that his father beat him. There were numerous things that his father beat him over. At first, it was verbal abuse because he had gotten laid off a few times, and from drinking. Then, it was physical abuse when at first Virgil almost stayed the night. Then it died down and went back to verbal abuse. But then, it started up when Kandice met his parents. He never blamed her for the whole ordeal. She never did anything to cause it. Downstairs, he could hear the front door slam open. He sighed, knowing that the whole ordeal would start over again….

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_I don't know why I instigate_

_And say what I don't mean_

Feet crunched through the snow. Now, Richie was allowed out, considering that his mother pleaded with his father to let him out. His body felt weak and he had a small limp to his walk. Luckily for him, nobody really noticed….except for Kandice and Virgil. They constantly worried about him and he even yelled at the both of them. He didn't want anybody else to suffer what his father put him through. Currently, he was going to the winter festival in the park. He felt as if he needed to make it up for Kandice, for all the times he wasn't there during his 'punishment'. He felt a sour taste as he thought of that word. It never really struck him until now how unfair it was for him and his mother. He stopped in a back of a bunch of people who were listening to the musicians. All of a sudden, he felt a pair of cold hand in front of his eyes. He immediately tensed up and felt like screaming. The hands lowered down and instead a hand intertwined with his. He looked down to see Kandice look up at him, worriedly. "You jumped." She said "It was just me."

"Sorry." He said

She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "It's nice to see you out of the house." She said

"It's good to be out sometimes." He said "I just wish it was in warmer weather. Being out here in the evening and in cold air does wonders for my asthma."  
Kandice giggled, feeling good that his jokes were coming back, even if it was through sarcasm. When the musicians stopped playing, she led him over to a park bench and the two sat down. Kandice laid her head on his shoulder and he put an arm around her shoulders. He kissed the top of her hair and she sighed. It was a mix of worry and happiness. They sat in silence for about five minutes before Kandice decided to break the ice and say what she was going to say. "I know what's going on." She said

"What?" he asked

"He's abusing you, emotionally and physically."  
His arms went backwards behind the bench. He looked up at the starry night, knowing where this conversation was going. Now he knew how Kandice felt when he worried about her. She hugged her knees up to her chest. Her forehead rested between her knees. "I knew you would act like that." She said

"Kandi…" he started

"Just let me finish."

"Ok."

"I know how it feels…to be slammed up against the wall, and then blows against your chest and stomach. Sure, this is the first stage of it. You think he'll stop, but then it'll get worse and he'll start throwing things at you, and then the kicking starts."  
Richie looked over at her. Her body was trembling a bit now. She was remembering her own horrors. He quickly embraced her and kiss the top of her head again. "That's not going to happen to me." He said

"Yes it will!" she exclaimed

Her voice was trembling and she looked straight into his eyes. Her face was flushed, looking like she was ready to cry. "It only gets worse before it gets better." She said

Before Richie could reply, the shockvox went off. She looked at him awkwardly. "Hell of a ringer for a cell phone." She said

"Gear?" asked a voice "Gear, are you there?"  
Her eyes widened as Richie took it out and answered it. "Yeah?" he asked

"There's another murder, by the same man." Answered the voice

"I'll be right there."  
He turned off the shockvox and sighed. He was waiting for Kandice to bite his head off, but then she just giggled. He looked at her awkwardly. "Wow." She said "My boyfriend's Gear…so that would make Virgil Sta-"

He quickly covered her mouth and looked around. He stood up and sighed, with Kandice standing with him. "Don't tell anybody." He said "If our enemies know about you, you'll-"

"Be liable to death threats, kidnapping, the whole deal, I read enough comics to know that."

"Right…you need me to…"

"Go and save the world, hero. I'll be fine."  
He was about to leave when he felt an arm hold his wrist. "Be careful." Said Kandice

"You know me." He said

"Exactly why I said that."

"That's very satisfying to hear."

_And say what I don't mean_

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I know it's not all right_

_So I'm breaking the habit_

_Tonight_

Gear came just in time to see the coroners roll the body away. He sighed, hoping to God that Static wasn't mad at him. This was the fourth murder this month and Static was a bit stressed out. "What happened?" he asked

"Myrtle Johansen, age 14, freshman at Dakota Union High." Said Static

"What was the cause of death?"

"Her heart stopped, to put it bluntly, or at least that's what the doctors say."

"This is the fourth murder this month. The last three were Shiv, Hotsreak, and Carmendillo. I don't get it."

"Maybe Myrtle was a bang baby herself."

"I don't get it. Why is this guy only after bang babies?"

"There's something we're missing, let's go over to our…place, and try to find out some patterns."  
With that, they flew off to the gas station. When they got there, Gear started up his computer and started analyzing data. He made a list of all the murders. He wasn't really paying attention. He was more focused on what Kandice said than anything else. It wasn't until Static snapped his fingers in front of his face did he notice anything? "What?" he asked, irritably

"Ok, what's going on?" asked Static

"What do you mean?"

"You've been in a trance like you've been severely wounded again."  
Gear let out an exasperated sigh and banged his head on the keyboard. "Not again…" he groaned

"What?" asked Static

"First Kandice, now you. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"You've been in a lot pain lately and you've been limping. I don't like how this is going."  
Gear, in a fit of anger, stood up straight from his chair and looked straight into Static's eyes. Static could see anger and annoyance boring in to his. "I'm fine and I wish you guys would stop worrying about me." He said, gritting his teeth

He pushed past Static and went to the door. "Where are you going?" asked Static

"Home." He answered

"Get back here! We haven't figured out a pattern yet!"

"Piss off!"

With that, Gear flew off into the night sky.

_Clutching my cure_

_I tightly lock the door_

_I try to catch my breath again_

_I hurt much more_

_Than anytime before_

_I had no options left again_

Richie groaned as he felt the sunlight shining on his eyes. He felt a sharp pain go throughout his back. It was the start of another school day and for some reason, he didn't feel like going to the school. Then something hit him, he couldn't remember much of last night, but he was sure something happened, because he was naked under the sheets of his bed. Then, the realization hit him. On his nightstand was a bottle of painkillers and he guess that the pills had worn off. As he looked under the sheets, he found dried blood had spilled and he slammed his head back on the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. It all came back to him, everything that happened last night when he got back from patrolling. Hot tears streamed down his face and he began sobbing silently. There was a soft knock at the door. "Richie?" asked Mrs. Foaley

"Yeah?" he asked, shakily

"Is everything ok?"

"No, can I stay home today?"

"What for?"

"I'm not feeling very well today."

"Do you want me check your temperature?"

"No, I just want to be in my room today."

"Did something happen between you and Kandice?"  
He felt his body tense up. It was hard to believe that she knew that he and Kandice were still together. But then, his mother was full of surprises at times. "No, I think I caught a cold." He said

"Oh, then you can stay home."

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_But now I have some clarity_

_To show you what I mean_

Kandice ran down the hallway of Dakota Union High. Ever since she got up that morning, she's been having a bad feeling. Then, when Mrs. Foley called, then she knew something was really wrong. She looked everywhere, even in the computer room, where Virgil and Richie hung out. She finally found Virgil in the cafeteria with Daisy. She let out an exasperated sigh. "And as usual, you find him eating…" she muttered

She pulled her bookbag up and walked over to the couple. Of course, Daisy wasn't too happy to see her. She was a bit upset that all of Virgil's friends were pulling him away from her. Virgil looked up and Kandice had a distraught look on her face. "You ok?" he asked

"Does it look like it?" she asked, sarcastically

She sat down right next to Daisy and she rapped her fingers on the table. "What's going on?" asked Virgil

"It's Richie." She answered "Her mother called and said that Richie didn't want to go to school.

"So?"

"So! There's more, he isn't sick and he's been crying in his room."

"What's the big deal about Richie missing school?" asked Daisy

"Daisy, come on." Said Kandice "When has Richie even stayed home from school? He loves books and he loves working on scholarly things….besides…he's crying in his room. When has Richie ever cried?"

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I'll never be all right_

_So I'm breaking the habit_

_Breaking the Habit_

_Tonight_

Tears stained Richie's face and his eyes were red. He didn't know how else to feel. He couldn't figure out what happened, but he didn't want to know if his father did it or not. He glanced over to the bottle of painkillers. He knew his father used them when he got into an accident at the construction site. They made the body numb and would keep the body sedated. He didn't move from the spot that he woke from. He thought about what Kandice said the night before about the abuse. "I guess she was right…" he muttered

His fingers graced the bottle of painkillers and it made him think. But then, he shook his head, laughing a bit in the process. "Suicide is painless…" he muttered "Or at least that's how the song goes."

_I'll paint it on the walls_

_'Cause i'm the one at fault_

_I'll never fight again_

_And this is how it ends_

Virgil had just gotten home that evening. He had been working at the community center and he wondered where Kandice had gotten to. He always saw her there every afternoon. Sharon was sleep on the couch. Any other time, this would be awkward, but since she was an intern, plus going to school and to work, this seemed like a usual routine. The phone rang and he ran to get it, hoping that he didn't wake Sharon. She wasn't much of a morning person. He placed the phone to his ear and he heard someone crying in the background. "Hello?" He asked

"Virgil?" asked a shaky voice

"Kandice? Are you ok?"

"Well…sniff not really…"

"What's going on?"

"Come to the hospital. Come alone."

"I can get Sharon to-"

"I know you're Static. Just get over here. Richie's in the hospital."

"How did you…why is he in the hospital?"

"He tried to commit suicide."

"What!"

"Yeah, pretty wack, huh? Just come to the hospital by yourself. Mrs. Foaley's really upset right now."

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_But now I have some clarity_

_To show you what I mean_

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I'll never be alright_

_So I'm breaking the habit_

_Breaking the Habit_

_Tonight_


	6. Who we were, What we’ve become

Chapter 6: Who we were, What we've become

_(Kandi's POV)_

My name is not Kandi. I don't know what my real name is. All I know is what I've been told, and I know that the memories stored inside me aren't mine. I know this, because I just don't feel that I'm Kandice. The real Kandice Harris died the moment she was taken away from the docks. I would have to try and convince myself every day that Richie was in love with me, but I knew that it was a lie. He was in love with Kandice, not me. I awoke to Theresa's snoring and I sighed. She was slumbering deeply and there would be nothing that would wake her, except for Mrs. Rodriguez, the owner of the facility. I quickly got dressed, not waiting for the other kids to get up. I wanted to get out of the house, and away from my reflection. I knew that Keisha, my subconciousness would be bugging me. For some odd reason, though, she hasn't been talking to me. I figured that maybe she finally went back inside my mind. I zip up my coat and sigh. It was after February and Richie slept through Valentine's Day, not that it mattered much. Valentine's Day was a pointless Hallmark holiday. No matter how much I knew that Richie was in love with the real Kandice Harris, I still loved him. In fact, I planned to spend part of my Saturday going to see him in the hospital. Then, my thoughts went back to Richie's parents. I knew that Mr. Foley didn't like me, but Mrs. Foley, I wasn't so sure. Something about her was loving, then there was the side of her that I felt, the dark side that was rarely let out. When I got the hospital, Mr. Foley wouldn't even let me see Richie. He believed that I was the caused of the whole incident. But, I had done nothing wrong. I mean, what could I have done? _'He's being an idiot.'_ Said a voice

I turned to look in the window, and saw Keisha looking back at me. "Shut up…" I muttered

'_I was merely stating my opinion.'_

"You don't help much."

"I wonder where that blonde pipsqueak is…"

I stopped as I overheard some thugs talking in an alleyway. All of them were smoking cigarettes. When I took a closer look at them, they weren't thugs, but they were large college kids, maybe football players. "He was so stunned when we were done with him that he merely walked away." Said another

I felt my psychic powers rising, and I took me a lot of control to keep me from doing damage. The tallest was skinny with black hair and what looked like to be red eyes. He took a long puff and sighed. From listening long enough, I only knew that this guy's name was Louis. "He was such a good fit that he helped me hold back." He said

My eyes widened and I felt anger swell up in my body. They were the ones that raped Richie! I was sure of it! The way that they talked about him, like he was some piece of meat to be trashed. I don't know what came over me, but I before it, I was in the alleyway, with my psychic powers ready to kill.

_(Richie's POV)_

I awoke to find myself in a hospital room. The last thing I remember was crying and taking Dad's painkillers. My body felt like crap and I'm trying hard to regain my strength. In a chair next to the window was my mother. She had dark circles under her eye and I felt bad for making her feel so upset. I began to regret trying to commit suicide. The people around me were hurting and I had caused it. Mom stirred and awoke to find my weak smile. She began to cry tears of joy as she gave me a light hug. "You made me so worried." She sobbed

Her tears went down my back and absorbed into my hospital gown. "Was everybody worried about me?" he asked

I looked in her green eyes as she nodded. "Of course they were." She said

My thoughts went to Kandi. I wanted her to come in her with her pretty light brown eyes. I hated to make her sad, and I guess that's what made me love her. As I hugge dmy mom close, I felt a sharp pang in the back of my head. Mom looked at me awkwardly. "Richie?" she asked

"Nothing mom." I said

_(Kandi's POV)_

I don't know what came over me, but I all could feel and see was anger. My gray hoodie was over my head and the college boys couldn't see my face. They didn't have to, all they had to do was feel my psychic powers. I had gotten inside of their heads and began playing on their worst fears, then their bodies began to shut down on them. Louis was the only one left. I wanted him to suffer the worst. From that moment forward, all my emotion left and all that was there was rage. Louis ran and my body had lifted off the floor at that time. My light brown eyes changed to a deep bloody red. I began gaining speed on him, until I had cornered him in an alleyway. His body shook with fear and I laughed. Not a normal evil laugh, but a psychotic one. I tried to regain control, but it was as if something took over. I was no longer Kandice or the unknown shell in this body, but Noir herself, or as she was called, Enchanted. She used my powers to make the man bind up his body. Louis was talking hysterics and was starting to tremble, despite how hard of a hold she had on him. His fear fueled her more. "P-please don't…" he said

"Don't what?" asked Enchanted, smirking a bit

"Don't k-k-kill me."

Enchanted laughed and Louis pissed his pants. She gripped one hand on his throat and began to squeeze. "You don't know how much damage you've truly done." She said "You violated him in more than one way."

I tried hard as hell to break free from the shell that I was in. I had to be in control of my body. I didn't want to be a murderer. Lucky for me, Static came and zapped me a bit. I knew that I would be in pain, but that was a small price to pay to put Enchanted back in where she belonged. She let go of Louis, who scampered away. "What brings you here, Static?" she asked

"You were going to murder him." He said

"So what? He's a lowlife that raped your friend, why should you care?"  
Static stared at her wide-eyed. Then, he squinted his eyes at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked

She gave one of her psychotic laughs. "I mean Richie of course." She said "He was raped. I was just getting revenge."

"You think killing the rapist would help?"

"Rapists, there were more than one. Well, I gotta go, see ya sparky."

With that, Enchanted made my body fly away, but Static wasn't far behind. She made a dumpster fall straight for a bunch of people. Static had no choice but to help the citizens of Dakota. As she landed someplace near the docks, I began to gain control again. My body was weak and my knees buckled under me. As I sat on the damp ground, my body racked with sobs. It hurt when Enchanted tried to kill Louis. Then, I felt fear as I realized that Enchanted was still with me, I could never get rid of her, no matter how hard I wanted to. She was my psychotic side that only wanted to kill. "Richie…" I sobbed

Enchanted didn't love Richie as I did, all it wanted to do was kill. He was an excuse for her to break free. She only came out when I was truly weak, like at the laboratory that I was 'born' in. I promised myself that she would never get out, now I'm not sure if I can keep it anymore.


	7. Memories

Chapter 7: Memories

AN: I can't believe it took me 3 years of watching static shock to finally find out what Richie's mother's name is. It's Maggie….and his dad's name is Sean…just a little off topic thing I found out…back to the fic…

Richie's feet switched back and forth across the rug. He was home from school and it was killing him. A visit from the psychologist every week wasn't helping much. He didn't have the suicidal feeling anymore; it was more of a feeling of getting away from it all. Only Kandice could understand what he did. She had snuck over his house a couple of times after school. They never did anything serious, just sat there and chilled. They talked, and they kissed, but never did they do anything other than that. The house was smaller than what he was used to. His parents were fighting every day. His mother was trying desperately to hide it from him, but he had always known. A normal teenager would pry, trying to find all the information, but then again, Richie Foley wasn't normal. He was a bang baby who used his superpowers to fight crime and put away evil. He laughed as he thought of himself as a superhero. His thoughts went back to Kandice. With all the superpowers he had, he couldn't even save his girlfriend. She was emotionally suffering, and he could somehow feel it. She kept telling him that her memories were coming back, slowly. At first he thought that it was wonderful, but she kept telling him that they were horrible. She gripped her head every time she began to gain a memory. Her body would rack with fear and she would fall to her knees. All Richie could do was hold her. Then, there was the promise that she forced him to make. He never thought that he could do that to her. She said that if she ever went insane, to kill her. No questions, no reasoning, just kill her. He promised her that he would, but he hoped that it would never come to that. Kandice was a bit paranoid at times, but never insane.

Kandice sat there in the tub full of water. She didn't even bother to put bubbles in it. She stared at the ceiling as she felt her body start to shut down on her. Her memories were coming back to her, but she didn't like it. Her head hurt from all of the strain it put on. Her body began to submerge under the bath water, but there was nothing she could do. The water was under her face and she could see the bubbles floating up from her nose. The light of the bathroom looked pretty under the water. Her body finally shut down as she began to remember….

_The gun was in her hands and she had no idea how it got there. One of her fists was in contact with a man's jaw. All she could see were shadows. Then, came the man in black, she could see the devil in his eyes. She began running, but she didn't know where. She let off a couple of shots and felt herself fall. There was a sharp pain running up her back. There it was again, the man in black. He gripped her wrist with the gun and she was forced to let go. She could see death and despair, all the things that she wanted released from her body. She felt strong cold hands and her air supply being cut off…._

Kandice immediately sprung up out of the tub, water flying everywhere. Her body shook from the memories and she looked around to find herself back in the bathroom, sitting up in the bathtub. She immediately got up and pulled out the plug. She then looked at herself in the mirror. She was African-American, but her complexion was a bit pale. Her hair clung to her face in clumps and her body was soaking. The rug couldn't take that much water, so it went right through it. All she could her was the psychotic laughing. "_This is your darkness…_" it said

"Shut up." She said

"_Why can't I talk? This is your past. We're one and the same. You thought you could hide me away, but I'm back now._"

Her eyes widened as she saw her dark reflection. She was laughing at her. All she could hear was laughing. Looking around, she could see faces laughing at her…and one shocked her the most. Richie was laughing at her. Her body was angered and she balled up one of her fists. The laughing stopped once she rammed her fist into the mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Her fist still stayed there, blood dripping down into the sink. "Go to hell…" she muttered

Outside, there sat Batman on top of a roof. He saw the whole thing from outside. He had been watching her from for quite a while. He was making suspicions about her. First, there was the fact that her memory had been completely erased, but then he did some research on the town where she was 'born'. Someone or something wanted to bring Noir back, but it was the question of who it was.

_Richie walked around. Everything around him was on fire. He heard screaming and began running. He didn't know where the screams were coming from, but he was a superhero, and it was his job to save people. As he ran faster, he began hearing a familiar voice. The flames kept rising and he couldn't see. "Richie!" yelled the voice_

_His eyes widened as he recognized it. The flames grew hotter and his skin felt like melting. He could see her, Kandi, hanging there from the flames. Her arms were like in a crucifix like fashion. He tried to get to her, but the farther he ran, the father she seemed to be. "Kandi!" he yelled_

Kandi was putting her stuff away in her locker. She didn't look like she usually did every day. Her left hand was covered in bandages, where she smashed her fist into the bathroom mirror. Her guardian disregarded it as an act of anger, and warned her not to do it again. Still, she had a bad feeling as she left for school, as if someone or something was following her. She slammed the locker shot and looked over to see Virgil staring at her. She screamed and jumped back. "Jesus Christ Virg!" she yelled "You scared the hell outta me!"

"Sorry, I couldn't re…" he started

He looked down at her bandage hand and saw some dried blood on the top of it. "Christ Kandice what did you do?" he asked

She snatched her hand backwards. "Uh…accident cutting myself." She said "Don't worry about it."

"Kandice, you've been acting weird lately. Is there something wrong?"  
Kandi gave him a stern look and her eyes seemed to light up a bit. "There's nothing wrong Virgil…" she said, flatly

She walked past him. Something was going on with her that was for sure. One minute she was nice, the next she was like a totally different person. As Kandi kept walking, her hands stopped at the doorway outside to the courtyard. Kandi knew she wasn't in control of her body, but she couldn't stop herself. "I'm in control now…" she muttered

She walked past the courtyard and into the city. She walked far, and Kandi didn't know where she was going. She finally stopped at an old building. Knocking three times, she was let in. Brickhouse nodded to her and she nodded back. She kept walking and Kandi noticed that the inside of the building wasn't abandoned as it looked on the outside. Everything was dark and lit by candles. She finally stopped at the last room on the top floor. Knocking lightly, the door opened and she walked in. Two large candles lit on both sides of the room. In the middle of the room was a man with skull-white skin chanting I the middle of the floor. Under him was a symbol. Kandi kneeled and bowed her head. "Lord Aragog." She said

"Aaaahhh so you have come to meet me Noir." He said

"Yes, it wasn't easy. The soul that truly inhabits this body is trying to gain control."

"Do not worry about her. It will all be over soon. This town shall be just like the last one, and soon we will have enough power for our coven to come over in this realm."

"Still, people are starting to become, suspicious…"

"I see…do not worry about them. We must gather more souls Noir. The more souls, the more likely we are to get our bodies. Luthor thought that he would get a cure from his pathetic sickness, but he got more than he bargained for."

Kandi woke up Saturday morning in late March and looked around. Theresa was sleeping across from her and was snoring a bit heavily. Kandi smirked at her snoring and then began to get dressed. She was going to sneak over to Richie's house again, of course Richie requested this in an email to see him so early. Mrs. Rodriguez, her guardian, was already awake and drinking coffee in the kitchen. When Kandi came down, she gave the girl an odd look. "Where are you going at this hour?" she asked

"It's a little after nine." Answered Kandi "I'm gonna go the community center and hang out there with the others."

"You mean hang out there with Richie?"

"Uh no, just to hang. I do it all the time."

"I hope that's all you're doing. I'd hate to wake up one morning to find out you were pregnant."  
Kandi's face turned a slight pink and she coughed in her hand. "Well, I gotta go." She said

She ran out the door, hoping to get far away from Mrs. Rodriguez as she could. The run over there wasn't very long, considering the fact that the city looked completely empty about this time of the day. It kinda creped her out, in fact, the fact of her sharing her body with a demented psychopath is creepy too. Her stomach rumbled with hunger and she smirked, she had forgotten to get something to eat. When she reached Richie's house, she hopped over the gate the backyard. Looking up, she could see Mrs. Foley arguing with Mr. Foley in the window. She knew that she was coming at a bad time, but she didn't want to disappoint Richie. She crept over to the window on the right side and looked up at it. "Damn…" she muttered "I'd better not get yelled at for this."  
She took a small pebble and threw it at the window. It bounced off and hit her in the head. It took all of her willpower not to scream out in pain. Richie slid open his patio window and smirked at her. Her eyes were swelling up with tears. "Cute look." He said

"Very funny." She said "Why don't you get out of there while your parents are still arguing?"

"I don't think they want me out this early."

"Well, they're gonna notice me trying to climb up into your window. It's not like you live on the first floor."

"Alright, just meet me outside in the front of the house."

"Can do."  
Kandi hopped over the gate and cut her ankle in the process. She hissed in pain and her eyes turned slightly red. The trash cans in the alleyway were pushed back a couple of feet. She shook her head and the red eyes went away. She walked over to the front with her left ankle bleeding a bit and making her sore. When she got around to the front, she could hear Richie arguing with his dad. He said a lot of profanities, which kinda surprised Kandi. Usually, she was the one cussing all the time. Richie slammed the door shut, walked down the front stairs, and kissed Kandi on the cheek. "Let's go." He said

She walked off with him, giving him an awkward look.

Static sat on top of a roof. He was waiting for Batman and the Dark Knight had given him specific instructions. As Static sat there, he watched as all of the people passed by below him. Batman appeared behind Static and placed a hand on his shoulder, making the teen jump. He inwardly laughed, but kept his strong, cold demeanor. "You have bad habit of appearing out of nowhere." Said Static

"I have to talk to you abut your little friend." Said Batman, ignoring Static's statement

"Gear?"

"No. Kandice Harris."

"Kandice? What about her?"

"Harris may be involved in things that neither you nor Gear can understand."

"What do you mean?"

Batman just gave him a stare and then looked out on the streets. "I think that Harris may be going insane." He said

"Kandice? She's not that kind of person."

"I saw her talking to herself and then smash her fist into a mirror."

"I'll admit, Kandice may be paranoid at times, but I don't think she's going insane."

"Maybe she is a bit paranoid, but I know what I saw."

Kandi sighed as she listened to Richie rant and rave about his parents. Normally he would never talk about it, but it seemed like it was stressing him out. He finally stopped and kicked a trash can over. Kandi looked at him wide-eyed as he sat down. He gave her an awkward look. "What?" he asked

"You've never acted like this before." She said

"I know, I'm just a bit stressed at the moment."

"Don't be, just let things happen. You can't change the way your parents feel about each other so why bother?"

"My parents have always been together, if they separate, I might go crazy."  
Kandi laughed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic." She said "Parents divorce all the time. You'll be just fine."  
Richie gave her a weak smile. "I hope so." He said

She nodded and leaned on his shoulder. "You're the only person I need." He said

She giggled but as she did, she got a throbbing headache. She screamed and gripped her head in pain. "Kandi!" yelled Richie "Kandi what's wrong!"

"No…" she muttered "Leave me alone!"

Richie looked at her slightly stunned, but he knew that it was just her powers. He gripped her shoulder softly. "Kandi?" he asked

All of a sudden, Kandi stopped gripping her head and she grabbed Richie's wrist forcefully. "Let me go!" she said

Out of nowhere came this extreme blast of psychic power and Richie went skidding backwards on the ground. Kandi then stood up and turned around, giving him a very pissed off look. "Kandi?" he asked

"I'm not Kandi." She said "You are so pathetic. You have your powers and you don't even use them properly. If I were you, I'd be trying to hurt my parents for all the pain they've caused."  
She turned and began walking when Richie tried to run after her. She glared at him a bit and he stopped moving. She walked over and touched his cheek lightly. He could see in her eyes that she wasn't Kandi. Her eyes looked dead and cold. "Sweet child, you have no idea how much Kandice is suffering." She said

She turned and walked away, and using her powers, disappeared. Richie collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Not only did she make him motionless, but also tried to cut off his air supply. He pulled out his communicator and called for Virgil. Something wasn't right with Kandi, and he had to find out what it is.

Noir opened the door and bowed before Lord Aragog. She had only taken control of Kandice because he had contacted her. The girl was beginning to resist and it was getting harder and harder for her to take control. "Why have you summoned me my lord?" she asked

"Brickhouse has found the book that I have been searching for." Said Aragog

"And what would that be my lord?"

"The Book of Anubis, the only one of its kind."

"Does this mean that you can get my body back my lord?"

"Yes, but it does require a sacrifice…."

"Oh well, poor pathetic Kandice Harris was going to die from suicide I suppose."

Static and Gear flew around looking for Kandi. She had disappeared without a trace, no tracks or anything. Static was contemplating on how he was going to tell Gear about what he head from Batman. If what the dark knight said was true, then they were in more trouble than what they thought could be possible. "This doesn't make any sense." Said Gear "Backpack can't pick up a trace of her."

"She obviously doesn't want to be found." Said Static

"I have to find her, something's not right."  
Backpack picked up a signal and started going off. "What's up with backback?" asked Static

"He's picking up strange energies from a local abandoned home." Answered Gear

They appeared reached an old apartment complex that seemed to be shrouded in fog. When they landed at the entrance, they got an eerie feeling. They looked at each other. Gear could feel something gripping at his head, pulling him in. "So who goes first?" asked Static

"Well you're the hero…" muttered Gear

"It's your girlfriend."

"Chicken."

"Look who's talking?"  
Wasting no time, Static burst in through the door with Gear following behind. It took them a good while to get through hordes of bang babies, some the two didn't know. Something hard and heavy flew against the heroes and sent them flying into a wall. Gear groaned and looked up, shaking his head. There stood Brickhouse, standing cold and stoic. "Brickhouse, it's us!" said Static

The stoic bang baby didn't say anything as she attacked. Static used his powers to send her flying into the next room. While he was fighting, Gear had his hands full with bang babies and regular people. They all had the same cold, stoic look. Static finally used his nova burst to knock down all the fighters. It took some energy, but it was well worth it. Out of nowhere came a scream and the two heroes looked up the stairs. They ran up the stairs and found that everything above was drenched in water, like a nightmare. They began checking doors but all seemed locked. They finally found the last one and opened it. There lying in the center of the floor was Kandi, in the middle of some kind of symbol. She was motionless and she looked as if she had been through some kind of struggle. Gear quickly ran to her and picked her up. Through his gloves, he could feel as if her skin was ice. Static searched the room for anybody else, but only Kandi was there, and she looked…he didn't want to think about it. That's when he noticed the strange symbols on the back of Kandi's arms. Gear checked her pulse and to relief, a slow and steady one. Static turned one of Kandi's arms around to reveal the symbol. He then thought back to what Batman said: _'If I'm right, then there's more to Kandice Harris then what she's reavealing.'_


	8. A Shot at Being Ordinary

Chapter 8: A Shot at Being Ordinary

Time had passed so quickly for the teenagers it seemed like only yesterday they were freshman. Prom season was coming so close that nobody knew what to do. Of course, Virgil was taking Daisy to the prom, Frieda was going with Omar, and Richie was going with Kandi. Ever since Richie found her on the floor that mid-March day, Kandi lost her bang baby powers and was a normal girl…just with the knowledge and the physical shape of a killer. She had all the physical capabilities of Noir, but she wasn't as strong as the other girl was. The loss of bang baby powers had done something to her that even Kandi herself wasn't expecting. She would get tired at times and would go into a fit of coughs. Her body sometimes would go cold for no reason and she wouldn't want to eat at times. Even though sometimes she was sick and in pain, she would always smile and talk softly to Richie. In fact, the two were walking to the carnival that just came to town when she got into a fit of coughs. Richie stopped and patted her back. "I'm fine…" she said, softly

"Are you sure you want to go?" asked Richie "We can always stay home."

"Nah, let's go. You and Virgil have been fighting so much that it's time to have some fun."

"You should really do something about that cough."

"I'll just take some cough medicine when I get home."

Kandice walked towards the park and Richie gave her a worried look. "Kandi…" he sighed

J'onn transported himself to Dr. Fate's lair. He had called for his assistance when he learned what the league was up against. Inza was putting away some books. She smiled at him. "We've been waiting for you." She said (AN: I know, cliché line…couldn't help it…)

She used her amulet to open a gateway and the two of them walked in. Dr. Fate was standing before a lake and he turned to see the martian walk up to him with Inza. "Have you found anything?" asked J'onn

"More than I realized." Said Dr. Fate

He raised his hand over the lake and it swirled to reveal two figures. One was Richie Foley, the other was Kandice Harris. "I know these two." Said J'onn "Richie is a hero, but the girl Kandice, I am not sure."

"The girl is good." Said Dr. Fate "Lord Aragog needed her to bring his beloved to our world."

"Our world?"

"Aragog is not from here, but from another world. He came to destroy the human race, just as destiny has foretold me."

"Why does he want to destroy the human race?"

"That I cannot say. It is the destiny of this planet and all its inhabitants. Whatever is happening, I cannot foretell, because fate will only allow me to see but so much."

"I see…"

"Aragog has succeeded in bringing his beloved solid to this world, with her own body. But, in order to do it, he need to sacrifice a life."

"Kandice…"

"Yes, even now the girl is dying. Her body is shutting down on her. Eventually, her body will stop."

"If what you say is true then-"

"She won't die. The boy will save life. How he will do it I cannot say."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because this world dies if she dies. Aragog's beloved is her enemy, her direct opposite. The two must fight in order to save the world."

"So Kandice is truly a powerful being?"

"No, she is one of many. The boy is too. Those two, and many other beings create the balance that will determine the survival of this world. So, if those two die, the chances of this world being safe will lower rapidly."

Daisy and Kandi crept around nervously in the haunted house. They had lost the guys and it was getting too creepy for them. The neon lights were bad for their eyesight so they were bumping into and everything scary. They walked through the labrynth and the door slid open. What they saw was a scary-looking clown with glowing red eyes. Both girls screamed and ran around for the exit. When they got out of there, the two stopped to catch their breaths. "When I get out of here…" Huffed Daisy "Virgil gonna wish he was never born."

"That goes double for Richie." Huffed Kandi

She started coughing and looked around. She found the exit door and led Daisy by the wrist outside. The two boys sat out there laughing. Both girls gave them death glares. "I can't believe you two!" said Daisy "You nearly gave us both heart attacks!"

"You should've heard yourselves in there!" laughed Virgil

"Oh Richie help me." Mocked Richie

"That's not funny!" said Kandi "I was really scared!"

She walked off with an upset look. Richie ran after her. "Come on Kandi, we were just joking around!" he said

"She acts like she can't take a joke." Said Virgil

Daisy gave him another death glare. "What?" he asked

"Kandice wait up!" said Richie

She stopped and turned around to look at him, arms crossed. "I'm sorry we scared you." He said "We just wanted to pull a little prank."

"Well I didn't like it!" said Kandi

"How about I make it up to you?"

"How are you gonna do that?"

"You've had your eye on that large stuffed pikachu (AN: I don't own pokemon it belongs to Nintendo) since we got here. How about I win it for you?"

Kandi sat there as Theresa pinned up her hair. She had pearls all over her hair. She wore this strapless cream colored dress with a split up the side. On both of her arms were sliver bracelets, and she even put some makeup on. "All done." Said Theresa

Kandi stood up and her bracelets jangled together. Theresa eyed her up and down. "Not bad for somebody who made their dress." She said

"Yeah well, I'd like to see you try making a dress." Said Kandi

"I hope it stays on all night."

Kandi blushed and punched Theresa playfully in the arm. "Oh shut up." She said "Richie's not that type of guy."

"All guys have that type of feeling, you know."

"Kandice!" yelled Mrs. Rodriguez "Richard is waiting for you."  
Both Kandi and Theresa sniggered at Richie's full name. He hated it and he hated it even more when people yelled it out. She winked at Theresa and went down the stairs. There stood Richie at the bottom with a black tuxedo on and a pink corsage. "Don't we look beautiful." He said, smirking

"Well, I try my best." Said Kandi, taking his hand

He placed a pink corsage on her wrist. Mrs. Rodriguez clicked a couple of photos. Then, they went out the door, right into the back of the Foley car that Maggie had just acquired. "You look beautiful Kandice." Said Maggie

"Thank you Mrs. Foley." She said

It didn't take them long to reach the hotel where they would have the prom. Richie got out first and took Kandi by the hand to lead her into the prom. "Have fun you two." Said Maggie

"We will mom." Said Richie

Maggie sighed and sat there in the parking lot for a minute or two. Then, she started up the car and went back on the highway. _'I tried to protect him…'_ she thought _'I wanted him to only come to me when he was suffering. The woman said that I would have a son, and she was right. She told me so many things that I wish I didn't know. I wanted him to stay broken, and away from everybody else. I went to Aragog for help and he was nothing but a burden. He's my son, and I wish that his destiny wouldn't turn out this way. I wanted him to never see Virgil or Kandice. I had always thought that those two would be the cause of his death. Richie found his own way to them. But now I see I can't change Richie's destiny, no matter how hard I want it to never come to pass…'_

"Then again…" she muttered "You can't stop time and you can't stop things from happening.

AN: Yes! This is the end of the story! I would like to thank everybody who reviewed! Yes there will be a sequel! Oh, before a forget, Maggie went to Aragog willingly, but she was never evil….just to explain the last part.


End file.
